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Meow, The Cat Lovers Thread


MeowPrince

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On 15/03/2017 at 5:33 PM, Nipoet said:

 

This is a friendly reminder that HDB's cannot keep cats. :(

 

On 15/03/2017 at 10:21 PM, jonlittle said:

Wait it's illegal to do so in HDB? Oh man. So many times did I have the urge to keep one. :(

 

While HDB rules are against keeping cats, most of the time it is a case of you-keep-quiet-and-clean-and-we-won't-harp-about-it.

Outside of the pilot project in Chong Pang estate (for which HDB has gone silent and refused to comment of its successes), there are many HDB-dwellers who keep cats.  And it is very much a case of being a responsible pet-owner (regardless of cat or dog you keep as a pet in your home).  If you practice responsible pet ownership, no one complains and you can quietly keep your cat.

 

 

What constitutes Responsible Pet Ownership?

1.  Mesh your home.  Cats climb.  They ALL do.  Cats like to watch birds/insects outside the window.  They ALL do.  Meshing your home ensures your pet stays safe.  Did you know that most of the cat death cases you see on Facebook are actually from falls?  That includes several of the "reported" deaths in Yishun/Woodlands/Marsiling/etc. 

 

2.  Sterilise your pet.  Sterilisation prevents unwanted babies.  Sterilisation also IMPROVES HEALTH of your pet.  Sterilisation is advocated by ALL the major religious groups in Singapore too (yes, there is a fatwa on it).  

 

3.  Keep your home (and your pet) clean.  Clean home means lice/flea-free cat.  It also means odour-free.  And it all equals No Reason For Neighbours To Complain.  

 

4.  Keep you pet at home.  Cats can be happy indoors.  Providing your cat with a cat tree, cat toys, etc will maintain enough of an active lifestyle for the cat.  Most importantly, keeping your cat safely at home at all times means no animal nuisance to the neighbours, no chance of encountering abuse, no traffic accidents.

 

 

About the ancient (and STUPID) HDB rule

There is an old HDB rule that disallows keeping the keeping of large dogs and cats in HDB flats.  For archaic and ridiculous reasons that cats would defecate in corridors and make a lot of noise.  The Chong Pang "Love Cats" pilot has for the last 3 years proven it to be complete rubbish.  With recent events, there is already a rising number of voices calling for a review and scrapping of this rule.  

Cat Welfare Society had led the pilot project in Chong Pang estate to register homeowners who kept cats.  Yes register them with HDB, without repercussions.  It has shown that responsible cat ownership can totally defeat all the "reasons" for the HDB Rule against keeping cats.  And any experienced animal welfare mediators and activists will also tell you that it is always the irresponsible cat and dog ownership that cause all the problems, whether it is late night barking or pooping or abandoned kittens.  

 

Will the HDB rule be abolished?  In time it probably will.  Meanwhile, it is mostly used as a last resort.  So if you want to adopt a cat, and you can be a responsible pet owner following the above points, it should not be an issue.

 

 

Last but not least, please consider adopting.  Breeding cats and dogs is illegal in Singapore, only a small handful of AVA-certified farms are allowed to do so.  So if you are thinking of buying, you are already flouting the law.  

Instagram @the_meowprince

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Guest jonlittle

Yeah @MeowPrince I totally agree with you on taking ownership of pets and HDB's ancient rule. Very relevant points indeed.

 

In absence of ownership, problems with neighbors can surely arise. Apart from foul smell, frequent meowing is probably the other source of distress. In this area, what steps can owners do to resolve this? Training cats to be less vocal perhaps?

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16 hours ago, jonlittle said:

Yeah @MeowPrince I totally agree with you on taking ownership of pets and HDB's ancient rule. Very relevant points indeed.

 

In absence of ownership, problems with neighbors can surely arise. Apart from foul smell, frequent meowing is probably the other source of distress. In this area, what steps can owners do to resolve this? Training cats to be less vocal perhaps?

Frequent mewing, caterwauling is because the cat(s) in question are unsterilised.  Spayed cats tend to be very peaceful.  Sad to say, the bulk of the refuse-to-sterilise problem is also the source of roaming and dirtying of the neighbourhood.  The fact any responsible vet will tell you is that sterilisation helps to reduce their chances of getting cancers and tumours, not just cut down their desire to caterwaul (which is mating related).

 

Smells - all that is needed is a little investment in a litter tray and good litter.  There are ample choices of odour-absorbent litter in the market in green tea, pine, apple or a host of flavours.  

 

Cats can be distressed by other cats, by toxic/abusive humans, by barking dogs, heavy metal, loud noises.  Identify which is causing it stress.  A stressed cat would usually not mew continuously, but will behave badly (eg, scratch owner's favourite things, refuse to eat, pee/poo randomly).  If the cat is meowing continuously, high chance it is trying to call for help or tell the owner it has a problem.

 

As for the notion of "training" cats..... well, short of whips and painful coercion, cats are more likely to adapt to their human companions than be "trained".  I am well aware that there are some idiots who claim that they have "trained" their cats not to leap out of the windows - that is utter rubbish!  Just because it has not happened yet is not a guarantee it won't.  And when it does happen, they will claim abuse, cry wolf and accuse the rest of us rescuers/mediators for cursing them or similar nonsense.  Whoever can actually "train" cats NOT to leap at birds/bees/butterflies or NOT to roam or to take the MRT, that person(s) can please come to set up a circus.  Even Jackson Galaxy emphasizes communication and not "training".  

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End of the day, keeping a cat is a commitment, akin to having a child.  Vaccinations, vet check-ups, sterilisation, meshing, cat toys, decent food (wet and dry), etc.   It is not a cheap nor simple affair.  It is a commitment that spans the life of the cat.  If one does not have the financial and physical ability to keep one, then please don't.  On the other hand if you believe you are ready to do so, feel free to reach out to rescuers and fosterers and help adopt one from us.  

 

* I have been helping out in cat mediation and rescue since 2001, and I help take turns to feed some of my estate's community cats twice weekly.  Even for a part-timer like me, the time and monetary commitment can be felt.

Instagram @the_meowprince

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 2017/3/22 at 2:40 PM, MeowPrince said:

 

"End of the day, keeping a cat is a commitment, akin to having a child.  Vaccinations, vet check-ups, sterilisation, meshing, cat toys, decent food (wet and dry), etc.   It is not a cheap nor simple affair.  It is a commitment that spans the life of the cat.  If one does not have the financial and physical ability to keep one, then please don't.  On the other hand if you believe you are ready to do so, feel free to reach out to rescuers and fosterers and help adopt one from us.  

 

* I have been helping out in cat mediation and rescue since 2001, and I help take turns to feed some of my estate's community cats twice weekly.  Even for a part-timer like me, the time and monetary commitment can be felt.

 

I concur wholeheartedly. Especially when they are old, they can sometimes get medical conditions, one of the most common being renal insufficiency. This translates to lots of money and time spent on treating and managing the disease. 

 

Plenty of folks cannot afford then blame the vets for being money grubbers etc and how the bills are more expensive than human clinics. One thing they dont realize is that humans have government subsidies for medical treatment, pets dont. 

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5 hours ago, Samezuka said:

 

I concur wholeheartedly. Especially when they are old, they can sometimes get medical conditions, one of the most common being renal insufficiency. This translates to lots of money and time spent on treating and managing the disease. 

 

 

More than just age-issues.  Regular flea/tick control (Revo/Frontline), vaccinations, dietary control (indoor pets have slightly different dietary needs) alone is a significant and REAL cost.  And then keeping your pet cat occupied while you are away at work - toys, scratcher, etc.  All these are costs that most people do not even think about.   Having a pet is almost akin to having a kid.  

 

Someone shared on my FB feed last night about an idiot household thinking of sending a young cat to SPCA to be put down simply because they cannot afford any more kittens.  Yet the swine (yes, I use the term intentionally) refuse to sterilise.  

              Cost of sterilisation $120 one-time   vs   Cost of litter of 3 kittens >$1,000
Can see how idiotic the culprits are?

Instagram @the_meowprince

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  • 2 months later...

A very sad situation :-    https://www.facebook.com/savingthesiameses/

50+ cats are being rescued from a breeder's place even as I post this.  Its a classic case of stubborn-refusal to sterilise, coupled with $-faced stupidity and pedigree-fetish.  The breeder may face the law, but the cats are in need of help.  If you can, please help to alleviate the medicals+boarding costs.  The volunteers in the rescue team, although seasoned veterans, have their own cases+cost already.  They are only doing this so that the cats have a second chance.  Details are on the FB blog.

 

All this is more reason why we should NEVER buy cats, but seek to adopt instead.  So long as the demand to buy drops, so then does the reason for breeders to exist.

Instagram @the_meowprince

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  • 2 months later...

What would you do if you were in my shoes....

 

I rent a room where the landlord has a cat. However, the cat seems to be 'neglected'' by the landlord, hence why the cat clings to me instead. The landlord indeed is a responsible cat owner - provides shelter, provides food, sterilised the cat... but doesn't spend time with the cat, leaves the kitty outside of the room... Instead, I'm the one who spends most of the time with the cat, playing and brushing the cat (and yes - talking to the cat).

 

Unfortunately, my days are numbered in this place, as the landlord is not renewing my tenancy. I'm just so worried and concerned over the welfare of this cat. No doubt he will continue to live in a safe and peaceful environment. But everyday cooped up at home without any interaction...

 

I really wish the cat can be well taken care of, as he deserves the love and attention of his owner.

 

Am I being ridiculous or do you cat lovers out there think that the kitty needs more love and affection?

What do you think I should do?

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23 hours ago, mcbealz said:

What would you do if you were in my shoes....

 

I rent a room where the landlord has a cat. However, the cat seems to be 'neglected'' by the landlord, hence why the cat clings to me instead. The landlord indeed is a responsible cat owner - provides shelter, provides food, sterilised the cat... but doesn't spend time with the cat, leaves the kitty outside of the room... Instead, I'm the one who spends most of the time with the cat, playing and brushing the cat (and yes - talking to the cat).

 

Unfortunately, my days are numbered in this place, as the landlord is not renewing my tenancy. I'm just so worried and concerned over the welfare of this cat. No doubt he will continue to live in a safe and peaceful environment. But everyday cooped up at home without any interaction...

 

I really wish the cat can be well taken care of, as he deserves the love and attention of his owner.

 

Am I being ridiculous or do you cat lovers out there think that the kitty needs more love and affection?

What do you think I should do?

bring the cat with u.

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On 2017/9/26 at 5:03 PM, Zoragon said:

I love cats. Trying to fatten my 2 really active kittens a little so they would calm down but not working. XD

Please dont, obesity is associated with a lot of diseases just like humans. :( Keep them active and lean to save yourself from a gigantic vet bill! 

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https://www.facebook.com/events/242637009843884/ 

Cat festival this weekend at kallang leisure park. I wanna go during this sunday evening time. Anyone wanna come with me to this cat festival pm me.

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On 12/15/2018 at 12:50 AM, Phil said:

Too bad! Any explanation?

Used up storage.

 

 

On 12/17/2018 at 9:15 PM, Gonzo said:

use Instagram?

kinda defeats the purpose of this group somewhat then.

Oh well.

The bulk of my online cat pics are posted up by Singapore_Cats on Instagram.  Though the admin does post his own now and then.

Instagram @the_meowprince

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